Envelop.



W. J. BERNTHOLD.

ENVELOP.

APPLIOATION 31mm APB. 13,1901.

904,750. Patented Nov.24, 1908.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Fig.1.

numxlioz 7 I attouuqs Q vi hwooea W. J. BERNTHOLD.

ENVBLOP.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 13. 1907.

904,750. Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

{Jumanioz W. J. BERNTHOLD.

ENVELOP. APPLICATION FILED A 1 2.- 13. 1907 Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

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WILLIAM J. BERNTHOLD, OF WAKEFIELD, OHIO.

ENVELOP.

Specification of Letters Patent. V

Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

Application filed April 13, 1907. Serial N 0. 368,011.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. BERN- TI-IOLD, a citizen of the United States, residing at I/Vakefield, in the county of Pike, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Envelops; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to envelop fasteners and has for its primary object to provide a device of this class, which will efiectually prevent the envelop to which it is applied being tampered with by an unauthorized person without indicating this fact to the recipient of the letter contained in the envelop.

One of the novel features of the invention resides in the provision of a fastening of this class which is adapted to be inserted through the several flaps of the envelop and through disks contained therein, which disks contain the signature of the sender of the letter. It will be understood, of course, that should a person succeed in removing the fastening and in inspecting the contents of the envelop, he must of necessity make other punctures in the disks which contain the signatures in order to reseal the envelop, and in doing this he must of necessity make other punctures in the signature disks, which would, of course, indicate to the recipient the fact that the envelop had been tampered with.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of an envelop showing the application of my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view therethrough in a line with the fastener. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the fastener removed from the envelop and showing its arrangement at the time of applying it to the envelop. Fig. at is a plan view of one of the signature disks. Fig. 5 is a similar view of the strip of metal used in applying the fastener to the envelop. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the blank from which the envelop is made. Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but at the time of sealing the envelop with the device.

As shown in the drawings, the envelop is formed from a blank which includes a body portion 10, from each edge of which projects a flap 11, these flaps being foldable back upon the back of the body of the blank, and when thus folded being glued to ether.

The fastener comprises a pin 12, which is preferably formed of wire and which has a fiat head 13, so as not to render the device unsightly. This pin is adapted to be engaged through all of the four flaps of the envelop when it is desired to seal the same, and in order to render the withdrawal of the pin practically impossible without destroying the envelop or mutilating the flaps thereof, I provide a strip of tape 14:. It may be stated at this point that there are also provided a number of disks upon which the sender of the letter-writes his name, and the pin is also engaged through these disks thereby puncturing the same in two places. Now in order to apply the fastening to the envelop, the pin is engaged through the strip of tape adjacent one end thereof and the tape folded back over the head of the pin. The pin is then shifted so that its head will project beyond the concealing loop thus formed, as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. After having done this, the pin is inserted through the flaps of the envelop and the signature disks located therein, and after having been inserted the proper distance, is reinserted through the said flaps and the disks and through the tape adjacent the end thereof opposite to the looped end. From the foregoing, it will be seen that the head of the pin is effectually concealed at all times, and that hence it is practically impossible to remove the pin except by cutting the tape or marring the flaps of the envelop in some manner which will indicate this fact.

I have found it advisable to employ, at

the time of applying the fastener, a strip 16 of sheet metal, or other material which is inserted through slits formed through the flaps of the envelop with its ends pro ecting from under the outer edges of the top flap.

This strip, as clearly shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings, serves to hold the signature disks in place and also serves to guide the pin at the time of its insertion and to prevent the also engaged through the signature disks 10 same puncturing the contents of the envelop. and through the flaps of the envelop.

What is claimed, is In testimony whereof, I affix my signa- The combination with an envelop and a ture, in presence of two Witnesses. 5 plurality of signature disks contained within T the envelop of a pin and a strip of tape, the vWILLIAM BER) THOLD' pin being engaged through the strip and the Witnesses: strip being folded upon itself at one end to C. S. MILLER,

conceal the head of the pin, the pin being ELIZABETI{ DIQCAFFRY. 

